LOVE Photography. Being a photographer for me isn’t a job; it’s a service and art form I am proud to undertake. The thing I love the most about photography is being able to show a person’s soul … who they are, who their family is, and who they are to each other. It’s incredible being able to really capture a teenager’s spirit. I get to show their beauty, their spunk, their individualism … to have them look at their images and say, “is that really me, am I that beautiful?” I get to create art. I take an amazing scene of the beautiful Colorado mountains and rivers, put people in it who truly care about one another, and tell the story of their family. I capture their love for each other. This is photography to me.

I’ve been a full time professional photographer for 17 years. After college, where I studied photography, graphic arts, and psychology, I was honored to apprentice for two years under an incredible technical master photographer, Matthew Lindgren. Most importantly, he taught me how to balance light, how to pose, and about composition. I had ingrained in me, not only the art, but the TECHNICAL aspect of photography. For that, I am forever grateful. Afterwards, I ran and was head photographer at a local studio fine portrait studio in Durango for 5 years before opening Carol Cardwell Photography. That was over 10 years ago. We changed the name to Cardwell Aukerman Photography to honor my daughter and partner, Tiffany Aukerman. She is our graphic artist, an amazing photographer, and our licensed makeup artist and hair stylist. I have been privileged to work with her for over 11 years.

We constantly maintain our education to ensure we are at the pinnacle of our art. My daughter and I spend countless hours on schools, courses, seminars, and online classes. We stay current with the latest technology which gives us the utmost professional edge. Together we have evolved to become Durango’s finest and most sought-after portrait artists.